Not As It Seems

Not as It Seems

       The train pitched forward from Prosperity station causing Lonely to unknowingly grab the sticky, metal pole for support. She was thankful for the weekend but tired of so many gray days. Even though it was midday, the charcoal-colored sky made it feel much later. Low growls of thunder rumbled, and the chilly wind whipped around buildings, foretelling of the impending storm. Wiping her hand on her pants, she glanced around for a place to sit and saw a young girl with curly black hair sitting by herself. Lonely took a couple of steps toward her, “May I sit here?” The girl looked up smiling, “Of course!” She moved her jacket and scooted toward the window. “Isn’t this weather dreadful? My name is Content. Where are you headed?” Lonely turned to her surprised because people were not very talkative on the train. “Um, I’m Lonely. And I get off in Affluent.” Content’s black curls bounced as she nodded, “I’m on until the end, the Canyon of Darkness. Have you ever been? It’s so much nicer than…”

Her words trailed off as a heavy-set man in a wet, navy blue coat grunted as he slid in the recently vacated seat across from them. His left pant leg was hiked up and stuck to his mid-calf, but he did not seem to notice. Water dripped from what little hair he had plastered to his pale head and trickled down his cheeks. He kicked his backpack under his seat as he opened his phone and began staring at it. “Awful weather, huh?” said Content. Bothered, he glanced at her without moving his head. “Yea,” he grumbled, going back to his phone. Content didn’t seem to notice his annoyance and replied, “I heard it rained four inches today! I came to the city to spend last week with my sister, but I will be ever so happy to get back home. What’s your name?” The man peered at Content again to see her staring at him with a smile on her face. “Look,” he said flatly, “I don’t ride the train to make friends. My name is Burdened and I’m on long enough to get to my second job in Success. I’m not trying to be rude, but if you could leave me alone, that would be great.”

“Sure,” unperturbed, Content turned her body towards Lonely. “My sister and I saw the show Reckless, it’s so good! We went to the Museum of Art and The President’s Hall. We ate at her favorite restaurant, but it was too elegant to be comfortable for me.”

“Next Stop – Success!” shouted the engineer through the speaker box.  Burdened shoved his phone in his pocket, fished his bag out from under his seat and stood. He walked out onto the train platform without looking back at the two women. The wind blew in carrying the smell of rain, exhaust fumes, and burnt food and brought with it a short older lady. Her red coat was buttoned to her neck and her boots were soaked. She slowly sloshed over and sank into his vacant seat. She leaned her head back against the worn leather seat and started to close her eyes when Content began chattering again. “Isn’t this weather terrible? I’m going home from Prosperity where I spent the week with my sister. My name is Content, what’s yours?” The old lady didn’t even open her eyes, but her tired voice answered, “That’s nice. I’m Wore Down.”

The train carried its passengers swiftly on its mundane journey. Lonely could make out the familiar shapes of her day-to-day commute. Winter trees reached their gnarly, leafless branches skyward. Occasionally beautiful mansions all aglow flew past her window. Expressionless people sat in their cars, bumper to bumper, waiting for their turn to scoot up a few feet. She saw long lines of cars in the drive through at restaurants. Content’s endless talking broke through her observations, “…my sister went to a high-priced department store and bought a crazy expensive fur coat. I said, ‘Not Enough, why do you need such a fancy coat?”       

The speaker box interrupted her story, “Next stop – Promotion!”. The old woman opened her eyes and put her purse strap tortoise-like over her shoulder. Using the metal pole, she slowly bent over and stood, regaining her posture as the doors opened. The doors squeaked as they closed behind her and the train began moving again. “I guess you’ll be getting off next, right?” asked Content. “You should come with me to the Canyon. It is so beautiful and bright there; I know you would love it.”

“But it’s called the Canyon of Darkness. I can’t imagine how it’s beautiful. In Affluent, we have grand houses, coffee shops, parks, and so many stores. Besides, I can’t go with you. I have a thousand things to do this weekend, I don’t know how I’ll get them all done.”

“Do you want to do all those things?”

Lonely thought for a few seconds. “No, but that’s irrelevant. If I don’t do them, no one else will and then there will be more for me to do next week.”

“Is there anyone at your house? A dog or cat?”

“No, it’s just me,” Lonely sighed as she peered out the window, “In a big house.”

“You could come with me to the Canyon and if you don’t like it, you can ride the train back and get off in Affluent. I’ll buy your ticket.” Lonely’s head turned to her in surprise. “Buy my ticket?! You don’t even know me! Why do you care if I see the Canyon?” Content moved closer to Lonely, her black curls bouncing around her face. “Maybe it’s not as it seems. But you’ve never been, you should see it at least once. It’s not something I can tell you about, you have to see it.”

The speaker box crackled, “Next stop – Affluent!”. Content smiled at Lonely with a big grin. “You in?” Lonely thought to herself, “How ridiculous was it to pass by her perfectly lovely home and ride this smelly train to someplace she’d never seen with this odd little stranger? Was she actually considering this?” The train doors opened. Lonely sat on the edge of her seat, her gaze resting on the train platform and nodded affirmative. Content clapped her hands and laughed. “I’m so excited! I promise you will not regret it. It is such a wonderful place!”

There was no one else in the train car with them and the rhythmic motion of the train eventually lulled Content to sleep. Lonely was too anxious to nap so she watched the new scenery outside her window. The sky was less gray now, almost blue and the rain had stopped. A tree whizzed by and she saw that it had young, green leaves on the tips of the branches. She could see the sun peeking through the clouds and the rays danced on the tall grass. Cardinals and black birds sat on the fence rail watching the train cut through their serene community. Little white houses with gardens and bright flower beds dotted the hilly landscape.

“Next stop – Canyon of Darkness!” the speaker box screeched. Lonely felt sick, as if she had made a huge mistake. Her eyes found Content who was wide awake and had moved to the seat across the row. She had her forehead pressed hard against the window, looking outside. Lonely could not see her face but she was certain Content was smiling. The train had slowed to a crawl and Lonely turned to her window. She gasped! The train and the tracks were suspended above a deep canyon and it appeared like they were floating! The rusty brown and chocolate colored earth was carved roughly down at least 10 miles. Deep slashes and gouges marked the cliffs where a few goats hopped confidently from shelf to ledge and back again. Small patches of snow hid in the shadowed crevices and Lonely could see a muddy river rushed along at the bottom. A flock of four birds flew just outside her window, swooping and diving into the canyon like it was the most natural thing to almost plummet to their death. The train wheel’s squealed as they pulled into the station and came to a lurching halt. Content was beaming, “See! I told you it wasn’t as it seemed. Isn’t it spectacular?” Lonely was smiling too which made her face feel weird. “I had no idea. Who knew a place called the Canyon of Darkness could be so beautiful?”